First Aid Manual Flexibound – Big Book, 22 June 2016

You’d hope you’d have the necessary first aid skills to be able to cope in an emergency, but how many of us would actually know exactly what to do in a crisis situation?This book should be mandatory reading for everybody, it’s easy to read & digest, & is really thorough, giving excellent guidance (both written, & photographic) on what to do in a variety of emergency situations. Having read it, I feel confident that I’d know how to respond to a number of different scenarios appropriately, & I intend to keep re-reading it every so often to refresh my memory.I do wish first aid was taught at schools as part of the curriculum, it would benefit society enormously, but until that happens, do yourself a favour & buy this book, & maybe teach your children at the same time as you learn, you never know when this information could prove to be lifesaving!

Good, informative and well put together. I'm a paramedic for London Ambulance Service and I enjoyed this book. Surprisingly a lot of very basic first aid you have to pick up on your own... its not taught. And as a result this book is great for learning some skills outside the box of normal thinking for a NHS paramedic. Has enabled me to function above some of my colleagues when it comes to minor injuries... some would argue... we're not for minor injuries... we're Emergency Ambulances... but you tell that to the public! I've deducted one star though.... some things are not very simple and for a normal member of the public without any medical training and experience, I think some of the instructions are very hard to follow. However for a medical professional like myself it was more than adequate.

As a household we were only too aware that there were a lot of gaps in our collective first aid knowledge.You start doing some DIY, your son starts being more active and daring the house and garden and you realise that you need a reference guide for use in emergencies as well as life's little accidents.I did a fair bit of research reading reviews and checking prices before buying this particular book and now that we have received it and used it I am really happy that I made the right choice.It's a very hand-sized (287 pages inc. index) paperback book but with a shiny and tough-seeming plastic cover that will hopefully prove to be tear and wear resistant. Size-wise it is ideal as it is small enough to take on holiday for example but not so small that you'd get eyestrain trying to read it.The book has a logical contents section at the front with general first aid info. and then injuries and conditions by type. The truth is there's no right way to organise such information as what works for one may seem illogical for another, but it has been easy to use for us. At the back there's an alphabetical index which is probably what you will go to first when faced with a first aid situation and you are in a hurry.Our first use of the book was to deal with a childhood nose bleed, which is one of those conditions that no matter how many times I am told or read what the right thing is to do I still forget and need to remind myself, so I was pleased that the info. was to hand and easy to find in the book. It is also one of those common problems that you get conflicting information on. This leads me to why, in essence, we specifically bought this book . Some may say just look on your phone, tablet or computer for first aid answers. The problem is there will be times e.g. when out on a walk away from a good signal when that isn't possible. You will also find different information from different sources and be left wondering what to do for the best. This book, however, has been endorsed by and is an actual authorised manual of the St John Ambulance (and St Andrew's First Aid and British Red Cross). That's good enough for me.DK books always have good picture content and for me are up there with Usborne as stand-out UK publishers in that regard. Clear pictures and photos are really important with a book like this as when/if something happens you don't want to wast time faffing and trying to determine if the image in the guide shows the same injury as the wound that you are trying to deal with or not. Being squeamish,I cringe at some of the pictures and photos but it is better that they are accurate and these are.Length-wise I think DK got this book just right and I am sure that St Johns and the others were instrumental in what ultimately was included and what got excluded. Obviously, I don't know and you won't necessarily know either what you might need one day, but this does seem comprehensive without it becoming an A&E Dr's handbook. For those with the time and interest there's extra information clearly geared up for those who might be doing first aid on a more regular basis (e.g. St Johns) and while that's not me, I think it is good that the info. is in there.Overall, I think this is an excellent book and really every house ought to have one on the shelf somewhere easily accessible. Hopefully you won't have to use it and if you do then for nothing serious, but if you do it will be there just in case which should provide reassurance. At the price on Amazon for the quality of this book I think it is very good value and my advice would be to buy one for your home and maybe also some more as gifts.

This is the authoritative First Aid Manual, as used by both St John Ambulance and British Red Cross, as well as others in the field.Clearly laid out, and well illustrated, this book will tell you everything you need to know about First Aid, from applying a sticking plaster to CPR.It is best studied in conjunction with an approved First Aid course, as First Aid is above all a practical skill.Having said all that, the book is an essential reference and course guide and familiarity with its contents may just be the difference between the reader being able to save a life or not.

Wanted a first aid manual to keep by the first aid kit for reference. The book is well laid out and easy to find the information you need. I’d recommend a read through of common household issues so you have a rough idea what to do in the event something happens and then use this as reference once any immediate issues are out of the way.